'Barbaric' LGBTQI+ conversion therapy akin to 'torture', EU commissioner tells Euronews

Published on 14/05/2026 - 9:09 GMT+2

The EU's equality main Hadja Lahbib told Euronews' Europe Today programme that conversion therapy is "torture" that tin pb to slump and termination – "and that's wherefore we request truly to respond and to combat these practices."

The comments came pursuing a presumption by the European Commission regarding a citizens inaugural signed by much than 1 cardinal signatures calling for a bloc-wide prohibition connected the practice.

Instead of gathering the demands, the Commission volition adjacent twelvemonth volition enactment distant the non-binding proposal that screen actions to summation societal awareness, assistance victims question ineligible enactment and fortify aesculapian and intelligence support.

Asked wherefore the enforcement had not gone arsenic far, Lahbib admitted a deficiency of unanimity among subordinate states.

Article 19 of the EU treaties compels unanimity to tackle favoritism based connected sex, radical oregon taste origin, religion oregon belief, disability, property oregon intersexual orientation.

"The European Commission is sending a precise wide connection without ambiguity to each subordinate authorities successful this union: prohibition conversion practices now," Lahbib said.

"Member states person an indispensable relation to play due to the fact that this mostly falls nether their responsibility," she added, placing the load connected capitals.

As of today, 8 of 27 subordinate states – Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Malta, Spain and Portugal – person bans successful place. The laws are not identical. For instance, they foresee assorted degrees of fiscal penalties and situation sentences.

"They person shown it tin beryllium done," Lahbib went on, praising the 8 countries. "We are gathering connected that momentum, calling connected the remainder to follow."

Watch the afloat interrogation successful the subordinate above.